Our websites may use cookies to personalize and enhance your experience. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, you agree to this collection. For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice.

Mentorship Excellence Awards

Pat Lenehan ’15 (CLAS) works under the supervision of his faculty mentor, Barbara Mellone, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology.

In recognition of the critically important role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate research and creative activity, the Office of Undergraduate Research offers two annual awards for outstanding mentorship. Each year, a committee of undergraduate students will select one or two faculty recipients and one graduate student recipient of the Mentorship Excellence Award. Awards will be formally presented in April during the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition.

Outstanding mentors:

Develop a holistic view of their mentees through sustained interaction and efforts to understand students’ short-term and long-term goals

Challenge students to take the next steps in their research or creative work, including the presentation of that work in appropriate venues

Support student inquiry by finding ways to make projects possible and guiding students in pursuing projects safely and ethically

Provide constructive feedback that focuses on student learning and enables students to see failures as productive learning opportunities

Work transparently, making their thought process accessible to students and modeling how to grapple with research and creative challenges

Ensure that students develop an understanding of the field and the broader impact of the work (why) along with relevant knowledge and skills (what, how)

Connect students to resources, opportunities, and contacts – on campus and beyond – to further students’ projects, networks, and professional development

Mentorship Excellence Award for Faculty

Eligibility

Nominees must currently hold a faculty position (Assistant/Associate/Full Professor) at the University of Connecticut. Faculty based at the Storrs campus, regional campuses, and UConn Health are eligible for nomination.

Nomination

Only current UConn undergraduate students may submit nominations. A nominator must have worked under the mentorship of the nominee outside of a classroom setting for a minimum of one semester or summer, but need not be working with the nominee at the time of nomination.

The online nomination form for the Faculty Mentorship Excellence Award is now closed. Nominations were due no later than 11:59pm on Monday, March 18, 2019.

A committee of undergraduate students will review the nominations and select the recipient(s) they consider to best exemplify the characteristics of an outstanding mentor.

Past Honorees

Mentorship Excellence Award for Graduate Students

Eligibility

Nominees must currently be pursuing a graduate degree (master’s, Ph.D., or professional degree) at the University of Connecticut. Graduate students based at the Storrs campus, regional campuses, professional schools, and UConn Health are eligible for nomination.

Nomination

Only current UConn undergraduate students may submit nominations. A nominator must have worked under the mentorship of the nominee outside of a classroom setting for a minimum of one semester or summer, but need not be working with the nominee at the time of nomination.

The online nomination form for the Graduate Student Mentorship Excellence award is now closed. Nominations were due no later than 11:59pm on Monday, March 18, 2019.

Selection

A committee of undergraduate students will review the nominations and select the recipient they consider to best exemplify the characteristics of an outstanding mentor.

Make an Impact! Apply for a UConn Co-op Legacy Fellowship – Change Grant!

UConn undergraduates in all majors can apply for up to $2000 in funding to support projects that represent the legacy of the UConn Co-op’s commitment to public engagement, innovation, and social impact.

What can you do with a Change Grant?• Engage in a service initiative that benefits the UConn community or the broader community

• Conduct research that has the potential to benefit the UConn community or the broader community, address community needs, inform policy, or impact practice

• Engage in an artistic endeavor or creative intervention that addresses social issues

• Design and/or prototype a product, device, or service that fills an unmet need, impacts the lives of others, and/or addresses a social or environmental problem

Projects need to be student-designed and/or student-led. Applications are accepted from individuals and from small groups (no more than 3 people) who will be working collaboratively or co-leading an initiative.

2019-20 Application Deadlines:

• Monday, September 30, 2019

• Monday, February 10, 2019

More information on the Change Grant, program eligibility, and the application process can be found at https://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/change.

Are you interested in research but not sure how to get started? Join us to identify your goals for your participation in research and to develop a strategy for pursuing research opportunities at UConn and beyond.

For more information, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Research website: https://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this session, please contact Jodi Eskin at jodi.eskin@uconn.edu by September 12, 2019.

The series is open to all undergraduate and graduate students and is designed especially for students conducting (or interested in conducting) undergraduate STEM research.

If you require an accommodation to participate in a STEM Seminar event, please contact Jodi Eskin at 860-486-7939 or jodi.eskin@uconn.edu at least 5 business days prior to the seminar. This is an Honors Event. Categories: Career, Professional, & Personal Development or Academic & Interdisciplinary Engagement #UHLevent419

Join us to learn more about the National Science Foundation Graduate ResearchFellowship Program (NSF GRFP) , an important graduate program funding opportunityfor students studying in STEM and many social science fields. Theseprograms are open to applications from rising seniors, alumni, and graduatestudents within their first or second year of graduate study. Deadlines are in late October, so get a headstart by learning from this panel of current UConn NSF GRFP. Panelists will share their experiences with these application processes,strategies for addressing the selection criteria, and other perspectives onprogram benefits.

NSF GRFP at-a-glance:

Eligibility overview (not a complete list, for full details, please see (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18573/nsf18573.htm):Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents,Intend to enroll or be enrolled full-time in a research-based graduate degree program in an eligible Field of Study. Eligible fields include (not a complete list, please see please see (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18573/nsf18573.htm):STEM fields: Chemistry, Computer & Information Sciences & Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Psychology, STEM Education & Learning ResearchSocial Science fields: Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Communications, Cultural Anthropology, Decision Making and Risk Analysis, Economics, Geography, History and Philosophy of Science, International Relations, Law and Social Science, Linguistic Anthropology, Linguistics, Medical Anthropology, Political Science, Public Policy, Science Policy, Sociology, Urban and Regional PlanningUndergraduate seniors and bachelor’s degree holders may apply before enrolling in a degree-granting graduate program.Graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted in the first year or at the beginning of the second year of their degree program.Funding overview: Each Fellowship consists of three years of support during a five-year fellowship period. Currently, NSF provides a stipend of $34,000 to the Fellow and a cost-of-education allowance of $12,000 to the graduate degree-granting institution for each Fellow who uses the fellowship support in a fellowship year.

The Holster Scholar Program is a highly-selective enrichment opportunity for curious first-year Honors Students that supports in-depth, individualized learning experiences in the summer following a student's first year. The eleven 2019 Holster Scholars will be sharing their research projects at this event.

The symposium, which kicks off at 8:30AM, will be broken up into three sessions: